by Mike Osborne
A few months after earning my black belt, I chose to become certified in the use of OC or pepper spray. In an effort to continue learning everything we could about self-defense, a group of my fellow black belts and I decided to become instructors of pepper spray (OC) and to teach police, security, and civilians its proper use.
The class was taught by our instructor, Mike Griffin, who is an authorized Instructor's Instructor. The eight-hour class covered the use of pepper spray, specifically, the how's and when's for officers and civilians. As part of the training, the trainee must experience the efforts of OC spray, so about an hour before lunch, we headed outside.
We prepared pans of cold water and had the soap ready at the water faucet. An explanation of how this procedure is performed, how to spray, and how to clean-up was done. We decided who would be sprayed and began.
As I stood there across from Mike [Griffin], my mind was racing. You develop a sense in your mind of what the OC will feel like. After a brief conversation... WHAM!!! I was hit square in the eyes and immediately realized it was the foam variety. Initially I was shocked by the heavy application and how the foam didn't move. I was asked to open my eyes, but I knew better. Common sense left me and I opened them in an effort to find my way to the wash station. The pain begins as a burning sensation, but goes far beyond that feeling. I rinsed my head in the water, applied the soap, and rinsed again. While my head was in the water, I felt pretty good. When I sat back out of the water... it can only be described as a pain which would come from a concrete block being dropped on your face. WOW! I lingered in the water for a while, but finally after much encouragement meandered to the shade with a spray bottle of water. The spray was not a lot of help, but it was all I had. I paced, blew my nose, grimaced, and waited for the pain to subside. It was 15 minutes after I left the water before the pain was "tolerable."
While I was recovering, Jason Fuller received his dose of OC reality. Since I was in no condition to pay attention, I had to review the video-tape of the event. He received a healthy dose of the splatter-type spray. His reaction was similar to the two previous participants: head to the clean-up and agonize for a half-hour.
The moral of the story? OC spray works! Learn how to use it and carry it. Teach your family members how to use OC spray. If anyone would like further proof, I have a video tape which shows the effects, and if you're still not satisfied... I've got a can in my pocket and will be glad to help you realize the effects.
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